About Us

Born and bred in England, Karen Millen is known globally for creating beautifully crafted fashion for confident women who know their own style.

Each piece of their collection has been individually designed, hand-crafted and perfected by the designers in their in-house atelier to deliver their signature quality and attention to detail. From couture-inspired techniques to luxurious heritage fabrics, every KM garment has a story to tell.

The range is a curated collection of perfectly cut trend-led and investment pieces offering an elevated, tailored approach to fashion. Truly international, Karen Millen has stores in over 65 countries across six continents including flagship stores in London’s Regent Street and New York’s Fifth Avenue.

We believe that those who work in our global supply chain should be provided with the rights and protection of international labour standards, as set out in our Code of Conduct. The Code covers a number of provisions, including no child labour, safe working conditions, a living wage, no excessive hours and protection of the environment. The Code forms part of our overall Ethical Trading strategy which also includes monitoring and auditing of the supply base.

Our approach to Ethical Trading is to work in partnership with our suppliers based on transparency, co-operation and continuous improvement. We recognise that suppliers may sometimes face complex challenges in upholding our code standards. Where this is the case, we assist them in making ongoing improvements and regularly follow up with them to ensure satisfactory progress is achieved. We firmly believe that this is in the best interests of the workforce, as it is important that their livelihoods are protected.

We continue to work with the Aurora Ethical Trading team located in London and China who work closely with our team and our suppliers to progress our strategy and ensure this remains effective.

Our corporate responsibility strategy is developing and continuously being reviewed as our business grows. Our strategy represents on going work to integrate ethical trade, environmental sustainability and community enhancement into everything that we do.

We have created a Karen Millen code of conduct which is built on the foundation principles of the Ethical Trade Initiative’s base code.

We aim to promote the safe and humane treatment of animals used in the production of our products by requiring all of our suppliers adhere to our Animal Testing and Animal Welfare Policy which provides that:

Leather should be sourced in a sustained responsible manner.

Leathers & skins must only be obtained as a by-product and not for the sole purpose of the slaughter of an animal

No products in full or part are to be sourced from endangered species from the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) or IUCN

No real fur or pelts are to be used in any Karen Millen products

Animals should not be harmed either during farming methods or by the collection of their wool, & hair

Angora rabbit hair should not be used for any Karen Millen products

Merino wool cannot be used or purchased from sources that still practices mulesing. Suppliers will be asked to provide the wool source to ensure they meet our requirements and ensure safe and good sheep husbandry methods

Karen Millen does not accept any Leather/skin products obtained from live skinning or live boiling of animals

Karen Millen will only use shell products originating from non-endangered species

Karen Millen will not include ingredients, formulations or products from suppliers that have been party to animal testing for cosmetic purposes

Karen Millen suppliers are required to give full assurance and commitment that the Animal Testing and Animal Welfare Policy is strictly adhered to.

We are committed to working transparently, ethically and sustainably to support the people within our supply chain who make the products that our customers love and the environment and resources that surround them.

We recognise our potential to impact social and economic development in the territories that we work in. We have taken the opportunity to visit many of our suppliers and educate ourselves about the specific challenges that their environments present so that we can adapt our internal strategies and in turn support them to become better businesses offering more secure, sustainable jobs.

We are focussed on developing collaborative relationships with our suppliers and also with charitable organisations and initiatives that support and enhance our Corporate Social Responsibility strategy.

Responsible business practices and social awareness are virtues which we strive to honour in all of our operations and a central part of this is our continued efforts to ensure responsible supply chains.

We have a number of policies aimed at ensuring we conduct our business in an ethical and transparent manner. We update these regularly to ensure they remain relevant and we have done so recently to ensure they specifically refer to our intolerance of forced labour and our requirement for suppliers to implement appropriate controls to prevent modern slavery and notify Karen Millen immediately if they become aware of any modern slavery within their supply chains.

In compliance with section 16(1) and Schedule 19 of the Finance Act 2016, Karen Millen is publishing its tax strategy for the year ending 24 February, 2018.

The principal activity of the Group is the selling of beautifully crafted women’s clothing, footwear and accessories.

This document, approved by the Board of Directors, sets out Karen Millen’s approach to conducting its tax affairs and dealing with tax risks, both in the UK and overseas. This strategy document will be reviewed annually and updated as appropriate

Karen Millen Group is committed to:

Following all applicable laws and regulations relating to its global tax activities.

Maintaining an open and honest relationship with all tax authorities based on collaboration and integrity.

Applying diligence and care in our management of the processes and procedures by which all tax related activities are undertaken, and ensuring that our tax governance is appropriate.

Risk management and governance arrangements

Karen Millen’s aim is for our global tax affairs to be transparent and compliant with tax legislation. We have a tax control framework in place to manage our tax risks and the controls are monitored frequently to ensure they are operating effectively. In addition, our internal structures are set up to ensure:

The Board of Directors understand the importance of tax compliance, and how it is achieved.

The Board of Directors is ultimately responsible for establishing the overall tax governance with the Chief Financial Officer having key oversight and responsibility for monitoring the day to day operation of tax, supported by Finance and Tax Teams, as well as professional advisers.

The Board will have oversight to ensure tax planning and compliance is given appropriate attention.

Where there is uncertainty as to how relevant tax law should be interpreted, or applied, Karen Millen will seek external expert advice.

The processes by which we meet our tax obligations are kept under regular review, and include engaging with external tax advisers when required and investing in training for our staff.

Attitude of Karen Millen towards tax planning

Karen Millen aims to support the commercial needs of the business by ensuring that its affairs are carried out in a tax efficient manner, whilst remaining compliant with all relevant tax laws. The tax function is, therefore, involved in commercial decision making processes and provides appropriate input into business proposals to ensure a clear understanding of the tax consequences of any decisions made. Karen Millen does not undertake any aggressive tax planning activity, the sole or main purpose for which would be obtaining a tax advantage.

In cases where the tax guidance is unclear, or Karen Millen does not feel it has the necessary “in-house” expert knowledge to assess the tax consequences adequately, there is an established policy of seeking external advice.

Karen Millen will utilise available tax reliefs and incentives, where applicable, in a manner which is consistent with Governments’ tax policy objectives in both the UK and those overseas jurisdictions where we also have a tax presence.

Attitude towards tax risk

We understand the importance of tax in the wider context of business decisions and have processes in place to ensure tax is considered as part of our decision making process. We have a low tolerance towards tax risk and proactively engage with professional tax advisers that allow us to achieve certainty in our global tax positions.

Given the prominence of our brand in the High Street, the Board is fully aware of the negative impact that an aggressive attitude towards tax would have on both our customers and reputation. Consequently, our approach is to ensure that we are compliant and understand our tax responsibilities and the Board considers that strong internal processes and good relationships with our professional advisers are the best way to manage this potential reputational risk.

Approach towards dealing with Tax Authorities

Karen Millen is committed to the principles of openness and transparency in its approach to its dealings with the tax authorities we engage with around the world. All dealings with these tax authorities and other relevant bodies are conducted in a collaborative, courteous and timely manner. Specifically, Karen Millen commits to:

Making fair, accurate and timely disclosures in correspondence and returns, and responding to queries and information requests in a timely fashion.

Seeking to resolve issues with Tax Authorities in a timely manner and, where disagreements arise, work to resolve those issues by agreement wherever possible.

Be open and transparent about decision-making, governance and tax compliance.

Glamorous, distinctive clothing and accessories for the confident, uncompromising woman of today. We are known worldwide for our perfectly cut pieces, from on trend leather jackets to investment coats and occasion wear. With online & store presence across the UK, America, Europe, Asia & Australia, we're truly a global brand. We're now looking for true fashionistas to join our affiliate network, so whether you're an up and coming fashion blogger or have your own site dedicated to style, we'd love to have you as a member of our network!

Australia

“As a brand, Karen Millen helps women all over the world feel confident and empowered through our beautifully designed clothes. As an employer, we’re committed to encouraging women and men to fulfil their career aspirations through our supportive culture and fair pay practices.„

Our pay gap is highly influenced by the salaries and gender make-up of the stylists who work in our stores. As a fashion brand dedicated to women, where we outsource our distribution centres, we tend to attract more female employees than men. The result of which is that women represent 94% of our workforce.

The majority make up our large team of passionate and committed stylists, serving our customers in stores up and down the country.

Our small percentage of male employees work mostly in head office roles, which – traditionally and in keeping with most retailers – tend to be higher paid.
Excluding head office roles, our gender pay gap drops to 6%.

The following numbers provide more detail about the makeup of our workforce and evidence our commitment to championing all our colleagues, regardless of gender.

Facts:

759 (number of Full Pay relevant remployees)

94% women

6% men

80% of our Leadership Team are women versus 23% UK Average

The mean is the average of the combined numbers in a data set The median is the middle number that splits the top 50% from the bottom 50%

Mean Pay Gap - Total

Median Pay Gap - Total

50%

49%

Mean Bonus Pay

Median Bonus Pay

-30%

96%

We have a larger proportion of females working in retail being paid retail bonuses, the majority of which are lower value amounts when compared to head office roles. This brings down the females mean bonus value. 58 females received a bonus and 4 males which as a proportion is equal to 8% for both genders, demonstrating our fair distribution across males and females.

Proportion of men and women across UK business in each quartile (Quartile 1 being the lowest pay rates, Quartile 4 being the highest):

Quartiles - Total

Male

Female

Q1 (lowest paid)

2%

98%

Q2

3%

97%

Q3

5%

95%

Q4 (highest paid)

16%

84%

If we were to look just at our retail teams our results would read as follows:

Retail Mean Pay Gap

Retail Median Pay Gap

6%

7%

Proportion of men and women in each quartile (Quartile 1 being the lowest pay rates, Quartile 4 being the highest)

Quartiles - Total

Proportion of males in this quartile

Proportion of females in this quartile

Q1 (lowest paid)

2%

98%

Q2

0%

100%

Q3

4%

96%

Q4 (highest paid)

5%

95%

We’re proud to be a business with a female CEO and CFO, and a leadership team which is 80% female. However, we recognise we can do more to champion diversity at all levels of our business and ensure everyone can build and sustain a successful and rewarding career.

We’re re-engineering our recruitment strategy, to ensure we can attract a wide range of potential employees underpinned in the knowledge that Karen Millen is a great place to work for everyone, regardless of age, gender or ethnicity. We look forward to creating a more diverse workforce and helping to build a solid pipeline of future leaders in retail.